KALAMAZOO, MI – A double-fatal stabbing stemmed from issues between a family and a daughter’s boyfriend, according to testimony.
Three witnesses testified for more than an hour and a half Thursday, Oct. 6, in Kalamazoo County District Court during a preliminary examination for Nathaniel Fredric-Nikolas Doyle, 27, of Kalamazoo.
Doyle is charged with two felony counts of manslaughter for the fatally stabbing of Maurice Pearson, 49, and his son, Xavier Pearson, 21, on Jan. 10 at Davis Creek Apartments, near Sprinkle Road and Meredith Street in Portage.
Judge Kathleen Hemingway bound Doyle over to circuit court after finding there was sufficient evidence to order a jury trial.
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The defense and prosecutor both said that self-defense is likely part of the case. Self-defense is an affirmative defense, which should be presented in circuit court before a jury, Hemingway said.
Kalamazoo County Assistant Prosecutor Chelsea Huber said Doyle’s actions went beyond what self-defense covers.
“You can’t take self-defense beyond what is necessary to defend from harm and that’s exactly what this defendant did here,” Huber said.
The fatal fight happened at the apartment of one of Maurice Pearson’s daughters, where she lived with her two children younger than 5, her sister Charde Pearson testified. Doyle was dating the daughter and is the children’s father, but was not living there, Charde Pearson said.
Maurice Pearson did not like Doyle throughout the time he dated the daughter, Charde Pearson testified.
Two days before the stabbing, Charde Pearson had gone over to her sister’s apartment, after she overheard a fight on a phone call. After she was there, there was a fight between Charde Pearson and Doyle on Jan. 8. Witnesses disagreed about who started the fight and if Charde Pearson made threats.
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Charde Pearson said she drove Maurice and Xaiver Pearson to the apartment Jan. 10 to talk to the daughter about her relationship. Maurice Pearson knocked on the door by himself and appeared to fall into the apartment when Doyle answered the door, she testified.
Xaiver Pearson then ran out of the car and into the apartment, Charde Pearson testified. After he entered the apartment, she said she waited three seconds and went to the apartment door. She said could see what was happening.
Doyle was standing over Maurice Pearson, who was not moving, Charde Pearson said. She then called 911.
Xavier Pearson was punching Doyle, trying to get him off of Maurice, Charde Pearson said.
“(Dolye) says, ‘Oh you want some too?’ to my brother and he starts cutting him,” she said.
Doyle always kept a pocketknife on him and was able to grab it during the fight, Portage police detective Nathan Slavin said Dolye told him. Doyle told Slavin that he was scared for his life, according to testimony.
When Xavier Pearson was on his knees, Doyle stabbed him in the eye, Charde Pearson said. Police and paramedics showed up shortly after that, she said.
Slavin agreed with defense attorney John Anderegg, who asked whether he thought Doyle was swinging his arm with a knife to protect himself from imminent threat.
Charde Pearson said she saw her sister for only a couple seconds before the sister left the room where the fight was happening.
Doyle’s face was badly bruised and swollen when Slavin talked to him at Bronson Methodist Hospital on Jan. 10. Doyle had to physically turn his body to talk to Slavin because of how swollen his eyes were.
There was fresh blood in Doyle’s face mask when he removed it as well, Slavin said.
Both men died from sharp injuries, in homicides, Kalamazoo County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Joseph Prahlow testified.
Maurice Pearson was stabbed 12 times, once in his chest, once in his left arm and then other shallower wounds around the rest of his body, Prahlow testified.
Xavier Pearson was stabbed seven times, once in the left eye, once in the chest, once in the abdomen and then with other wounds classified as defensive, Prahlow said. The stab wound to the eye was in a downward motion, he testified.
A warrant was issued for Doyle’s arrest May 12, and he was arrested in Arizona. He was arraigned June 29 , according to court records.
Doyle broke his apartment lease and moved to Arizona because of threats, co-defense attorney Kiana Garrity had said. He had planned to turn himself in but was arrested in Arizona before he could. Doyle waived extradition and was flown back to Michigan on June 28, Garrity said.
Doyle was previously granted a $50,000 surety bond, which was continued. He is free on bond.
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